Finish Fast, and First

This month's column is about taking drastic measures to get your body across the finish line ahead of your opponents. Specifically, we will discuss how to develop a lethal kick that will blow your rivals’ socks off.

Seb Coe, Lasse Viren, and Lynn Jennings each had impressive finishes, but vastly different kicking styles. Varying tactics are appropriate depending on the distance of the race, the strengths and weaknesses of your competition, and your own abilities and racing experience. Well-designed workouts can greatly improve your kicking ability, but there are risks in over-emphasizing the kick at the expense of your preparation for the first 95 percent of the race. In most situations, six weeks of tailored workouts is about right.

There are three primary types of kicks, based on how far from the finish line you open up the throttle.

Long, grinding kick: These strength-sapping kicks typically last from four to eight minutes, and require great self-discipline and commitment. Long, grinding kicks are very effective because most runners simply do not want to endure the required discomfort. Physiologically, the effort relies primarily on the upper end of your aerobic capacity, but because the intensity is above your lactate threshold, your lactate levels increase steadily. At the finish of a long, grinding kick, your energy will be spent, but you will also likely be comfortably ahead of your nearest competitors. Long, grinding kicks can be used to devastating effect in races from 10K to the marathon. After you have used this tactic successfully once or twice, other runners will treat you with increased respect.

The ability to generate a long, grinding kick requires the capacity to sustain a relentless pace. The following three types of training will help you develop a more formidable grinding kick: (1) tempo runs in which you increase your pace by 10 to 15 seconds for the last mile; (2) intervals of 1200 to 1600 meters in which you run the last two intervals almost as hard as you can; and (3) progressively picking up the pace toward the end of one or two of your harder training runs each week.

High lactate kick: This is the classic hard acceleration of roughly 40 to 80 seconds, in which you and your opponents carry refrigerators for the last 100 meters or so. Although high lactate kicks are inherently painful, with the right preparation you can make sure that your refrigerator is smaller than everyone else’s. The intensity of high lactate kicks exceeds your maximal aerobic capacity and results in a rapid accumulation of lactate in your muscles and blood. This type of kick can be used effectively in any event, from 1500 meters to the marathon. The fact that high lactate kicks are more often used at the shorter end of the race spectrum only makes them more potent for longer races.

High lactate kicking requires the ability to accelerate off an already hard pace and to maintain pace as your lactate levels increase. As you might expect, the most effective training sessions can be rather unpleasant. Two key workouts are: (1) eight to 12 repetitions of 300 or 400 meters with a one to two minute recovery jog; and (2) intervals of 1,000 to 1600 meters in which you run at race pace until 300 or 400 meters to go and then push hard to the finish. Both of these workouts make your lactate level rise after each repetition, so by the end you are pushing your body’s limits. It is also helpful to do striders of about 100 meters after training runs to develop your ability to accelerate when your legs are fatigued. To develop your confidence during races, try kicking from 200 meters out, and then gradually increase the distance (and ferocity) of your kick as you gain experience.

Short, explosive kick: This is the quick and deadly burst in the last 150 meters that catches your rivals off-guard. With optimal timing, when the other runners are ready to react to your move it is too late for them to hold you off. While this tactic is not for the faint of heart, it can be very effective, and will give you a fearsome reputation. Short, explosive kicks require the ability to accelerate swiftly, but unlike high lactate kicks, you do not maintain your speed long enough to test your lactate tolerance. You need the power to gain speed rapidly and the ability to turn your legs over quickly. Running short, steep hills is a great way to develop the necessary drive from your legs and hips. A typical workout consists of 10 hard hill reps of 50 to 100 meters, with full recovery between sprints. This session improves your power and acceleration by recruiting muscle fibers that are only used during maximal efforts.

To convert leg power to speed you need to improve your maximal stride rate, which is controlled by your neuromuscular system. Downhill striders on a gentle grass slope are a great way to improve your leg turnover. Downhill training teaches your nervous system to let you run fast, which is why sprinters have been doing these sessions for many years. To prevent injury, warm up well first, including a few striders on the flat. During the downhill striders, focus on letting gravity assist your legs to turn over more quickly as you gain speed. Finally, to practice switching gears abruptly, try a workout of 600 to 1200 meter intervals with a quick burst 50 to 80 meters from the finish line.